A Visit to the ArtScience Museum : The Art of Brick, Fujians and Magnum Photos

January 19, 2013

It was my first time stepping into ArtScience Museum. This state-of-the-art museum is one of a kind in Singapore because it has hosted some of the renowned touring exhibitions such as Titantic and Harry Potter. Both the interior and exterior of the museum is stunning. It is now that I’ve understood why there is a huge pond,with pink and purple lotus flowers, encircling the museum. It’s simply because the architecture of the museum was a structure reminiscent to the shape of a lotus flower.

Last beautiful Sunday, I was invited by Marina Bay Sands to tour the four current exhibitions at the museum – The Art of Brick, Fujians: the Blue Ocean Legacy and Outside in: A Magnum Photos showcase. It was truly an eye opener for someone like myself who’s never really visited an art exhibition or to be in the know of what’s happening in the international or local art scene.

The Art of Brick Exhibition

Welcome to modern art.

Photo credit: ArtScience Museum

The exhibition focuses on the creative work of one man named Nathan Sawaya who found his passion in building sculptures using Lego bricks. For this New Yorker, Lego bricks is his form of clay which he piece and stack the tiny vibrant coloured bricks together, turning his intangible imagination into solid rock reality. Today, his creations have already been exhibited in North America, Asia and Australia.

Photo credit: Nathan Sawaya

The story behind this man, who loves Lego bricks a 100 times more than I do, is an inspiring one. As we toured the exhibition, the guide from ArtScience museum shared some of Nathan’s anecdotes which had brought him to where he is today.

Nathan was once a lawyer but he gave up law for the love of his life – Lego Artworks. All I could say was that this man must have love playing with Lego bricks so much that he choose to forgo his career and lifestyle so that he could concentrate on building his passion. It’s admirable because not many in this world is able to make such a huge sacrifice or transformation in life. It must be tough for him to take the reverse, and divert into another path which seems treacherous, so unfamiliar and dark. Undaunted by such a vision, he braved for the first step. Now, this is something I’ve learnt other than figuring out how he had so much patience and brain juice to create such thought-provoking artwork.

Photo credit: ArtScience Museum

Pull a friend, a child or anyone who needs a renewed spirit. Nathan’s artwork, each moulded with hand and with love that flows from the heart, will inspire you.

*Free workshops for The Art of Brick Ticket holders (visitors) : Stop-motion films using brick materialsSaturdays | 3pm – 4.15pmArt of Play Space in The Art of the Brick (Level 3)

Walking from one artefact to another albeit tiring but adventurous for me, who loves unwinding the events and stories of the past. This exhibition traces the 2,000 year-old ocean route of the sea-faring Fujians, who set sail to conquer the world.

Photo credit: ArtScience museum

With today’s vast advancement in technology and abundance in resources, it would came no surprise to me if someone could build a sturdy junk boat easily with the available resources. However, junk boats were invented many years back ago where there’s no such technology and resources. It just proves that the capacity of the human mind is limitless. We are capable of doing anything as long as we believe in it. Do you believe in self-fulfilling prophecies?

Photocredit: ArtScience museum

There are interactive booths in the exhibit which allows you to do woodblock printing on pieces of paper provided at the booth itself. It’s a fantastic souvenir to take home.

Re-acquaint ourselves with our roots and heritage here.

Outside In: A Magnum Photos Showcase

I remembered vividly that the lady who conducted the PhotoLab workshop joked, “Magnum photos… not the Magnum ice-cream.” But somehow, the mention of the word “Magum” has intuitively led me to think of that thick bar of vanilla ice-cream coated with chocolate…

On a serious note, Magnum Photos is a renowned photographic co-operative featuring the world’s finest photographers. This exhibits starrs works of three distinguished photographers – Stuart Franklin, Mark Power and Jacob Aue Sobol.These photographers chronicle the world and interpret its people, events and issues through photography.

Picture speaks louder than words.

Seeing is believing.

You just need to be there to see it for yourself.

PhotoLab

This is a new space for photography lovers to hang out. PhotoLab is Singapore’s first professional photography gallery and workspace, including a fully functional darkroom. That day, I had a hands-on experience of creating my very first photogram at one of the workshops conducted in the darkroom.